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A three-person independent arbitration panel has awarded Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal a $32 million contract for the 2026 MLB season,ESPN's Jeff Passanreported Thursday. It is a one-year deal for Skubal, 29, and he will be eligible for unrestricted free agency next offseason.

A Wednesday hearing saw both the Tigers and Skubal present their cases for what theback-to-back AL Cy Young Award winnershould earn for the 2026 season. Prior to the hearing, Skubal's agent, Scott Boras, asked for an arbitration-record salary of $32 million — $1 million more than the $31 million Juan Soto got in 2024 with the New York Yankees. The Tigers proposed $19 million, and the$13 million difference in filings was the largest in MLB arbitration history.

The panel was tasked with selecting one of the two numbers from Skubal and the Tigers, not determining an amount between the totals.

The previous arbitration record for a pitcher was $19.75 million, which was awarded to former Tigers lefty David Price in 2015. Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s $19.9 million salary in 2024 was the highest total in an arbitration case decided by a panel. Jeanne Charles and Walt De Treaux, who were on the panel for Guerrero's decision, were also part of the Skubal hearing.

Skubal's was the third arbitration case decision this offseason, with the previous two also going the player's way. Baltimore Orioles pitcher Kyle Bradish was awarded $3.55 million over the team's ask of $2.875 millio, and Houston Astros catcher Yainer Diaz received $4.5 million rather than the $3 million the team proposed.

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Seven more players have arbitration hearings scheduled, including Milwaukee Brewers catcher Willson Contreras, Kansas City Royals pitcher Kris Bubic and Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson.

The 29-year-old Skubal has been one of the best pitchers in baseball the past two seasons, compiling a 31-10 record with 469 strikeouts, a 0.91 WHIP and a .201 opponent batting average in 381 1/3 innings pitched. He's a two-time All-Star and All-MLB first-team player, he won the pitching Triple Crown in 2024, and he's one of six players who have won multiple Cy Youngs in the past 15 years.

Last season, Skubal led the Tigers pitching staff backed by Jack Flaherty and Case Mize. Detroit finished second in the AL Central with an 87-75 record and reached the ALDS, in which they lost to the Seattle Mariners in five games.

Skubal, who willbe one of Team USA's top armsat next month's World Baseball Classic, won one of his three postseason starts, pitching 20 2/3 innings and allowing four earned runs while striking out 36 with opponents batting .143 against him.

The Los Angeles Clippers continued their activity leading up to the trade deadline, sending center Ivica Zubac and forward Kobe Brown to the Indiana Pacers on Thursday, ESPN reported.

The Clippers are set to receive Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson, two first-round draft picks and one second-round pick in the deal. Los Angeles' own first-round pick in the upcoming draft is owned by the Oklahoma City Thunder.

If Indiana's first-round pick this year's draft is outside of the 1-4 and 10-30 picks range, it converted to the Pacers' 2031 unprotected first-round pick, according to the report.

The 7-foot Zubac, who is in his 10th NBA season, has averaged 14.4 points with 11.0 rebounds in 43 games (42 starts) for Los Angeles this season. Brown, 26, has averaged 2.9 points in 34 games off the bench.

Mathurin, 23, is scoring 17.8 points with 5.4 rebounds in 28 games (24 starts) for the Pacers this season and 16.1 points with 4.6 rebounds in 237 games (109 starts) over four seasons with the team after he was the No. 6 overall pick in the 2022 draft.

Jackson, 24, is scoring 6.4 points with 5.6 rebounds in 38 games (14 starts) for Indiana.

The Clippers opened the season with a 6-21 record but turned it around while Zubac was out with an ankle injury. He has since returned following a five-game absence, with the Clippers now on a 17-6 run, although they have lost three of four.

It is the second trade of a Clippers starter in two days after the team officially sent guard James Harden to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday for guard Darius Garland.

Zubac, who did not play in Wednesday's game against the Cavaliers following the birth of his child, has averaged 10.5 points and 8.3 rebounds in 627 games (493 starts) with the Los Angeles Lakers (2016-19) and Clippers.

--Field Level Media

While most MLB teams spend the offseason attempting to address the most glaring needs on their rosters, many still arrive at spring training with a few unsettled spots. Competitions for these roles in camp — whether on the backfields under the watchful eyes of front-office officials and coaches or in front of fans in Cactus and Grapefruit League action — are often some of the most compelling storylines in the weeks leading up to Opening Day.

Here's a look at eight position groups that promise to be highly scrutinized as they're sorted out in spring training:

Boston Red Sox: Second base and third base

Last year's Opening Day Red Sox lineup featured marquee free-agent signing Alex Bregman at third base, the major-league debut of top prospect Kristian Campbell at second base and the beginning of Rafael Devers' short-lived tenure as Boston's designated hitter. In the chaotic year since, Campbell flourished then floundered, Devers was traded in stunning fashion, and Bregman helped lead Boston to the postseason before departing in free agency. Whew.

With Bregman and Devers gone, trade acquisition Willson Contreras at first and Campbell looking to restore his value whilefocusing on playing the outfield, second and third base are in flux for the Red Sox. Recentreported signingIsiah Kiner-Falefa provides some versatile infield depth, but his lackluster bat leaves him better suited for a bench role. Among the candidates for the starting infield jobs, 23-year-old Marcelo Mayer is the most exciting, having been among the hyped trio of hitting prospects who debuted last season, along with Campbell and budding superstar Roman Anthony. Wrist surgery ended Mayer's rookie campaign prematurely; is he ready to take on an every-day role, or would Boston prefer to platoon him if his struggles against southpaws persist?

The most straightforward alignment would seem to be Mayer at third and the right-handed Romy Gonzalez — who crushes southpaws — at second. But if Boston prioritizes favorable matchups and/or defense, Kiner-Falefa (RHH), speedy second baseman David Hamilton (LHH), Nate Eaton (RHH) and Nick Sogard (switch-hitter) could factor into these two spots on a rotating basis. There won't be room for all of them on the roster, so how camp unfolds — and if another addition is made before Opening Day — will play a big role in determining Alex Cora's infield strategy.

Houston Astros: Corner outfield

Manager Joe Espada wants Yordan Alvarez to DH as much as possible, a reasonable preference but also one that exacerbates the current logjam of corner infielders; Houstonis still trying to solvehow to give regular at-bats to Isaac Paredes and Christian Walker with Carlos Correa entrenched at third base. Meanwhile, uncertainty abounds in the outfield.

The Jose Altuve outfield experiment appears to be over. Alvarez's days in the grass will be limited moving forward. Several others who have appeared in Houston's outfield recently — Mauricio Dubón, Chas McCormick, Jacob Melton, Cooper Hummel — are no longer in the organization. Jake Meyers, an elite defender in center field, is still in the fold, despite trade rumors swirling around him. But who will flank Meyers in the corners?

Lefty slugger Jesús Sánchez arrived from Miami via trade in July but didn't do much slugging with Houston; can he redeem his acquisition after a lackluster introductory stint? Cam Smith was the prize in the trade return for Kyle Tucker, but he faded hard in the second half of his rookie season and has a lot to prove this spring. Two homegrown hitters named Zach — Cole (LHH) and Dezenzo (RHH) — have tantalizing power but big swing-and-miss issues. Former top prospect Taylor Trammell remains on the depth chart as a more seasoned, if still unproven option. Each corner outfield candidate offers hints of optimism and a healthy dose of concerns. If the Astros want to return to October, at least one of these hitters will need to step up.

San Diego Padres: First base and second base

The Padres made one of the more interesting additions of the winter when they gave 29-year-old Korean infielder Sung-Mun Song a four-year, $15 million deal. An unremarkable role player for thefirst eight years of his careerwith the Kiwoom Heroes, Song's 144 wRC+ranked seventh in the KBOover the past two seasons, and his defensive acumen at multiple infield spots helped fuel his market as a major-league free agent. That versatilityappealed to San Diegoas it sought to backfill the void in the lineup and infield left by Luis Arraez and Ryan O'Hearn, who both departed in free agency. But Song's exact fit remains unclear.

Primarily a third baseman in Korea, Song also has experience at first and second. And with Manny Machado still manning the hot corner in San Diego, Song's primary role will come on the right side of the infield. The other main character in that dynamic is Jake Cronenworth, who also can handle first and second base and is coming offa sneaky stellar season. Defensively, that gives new manager Craig Stammen flexibility to deploy Song and Cronenworth however he sees fit on the right side.

But Song's bat is a much bigger question as he adjusts to major-league pitching. If struggles at the plate demote him to more of a bench role, the Padres don't haveany proven internal optionsto pick up the slack; other infielders pushing for roster spots include Will Wagner, Mason McCoy, Samad Taylor and Pablo Reyes. That puts real pressure on Song to make an impact right away if San Diego's position-player group is going to stack up in the ultra-competitive NL West.

Toronto Blue Jays: Corner outfield

The Blue Jays were plenty busy making moves this offseason, but their highest profile pursuit — of outfielder Kyle Tucker — fell short. Chasing Tucker wasn't about a pressing present need as much as it was seeking a long-term anchor in the outfield, as George Springer and Daulton Varsho are both slated to hit free agency after this season. And even with Varsho and Springer still in the fold, the Blue Jays have some things to sort out in the outfield in the short-term. Varsho's big power and fantastic glove provide a strong starting point in center, but what happens at the two corner spots will depend on myriad factors.

First and foremost: Can Anthony Santander — owed nearly $70 million over the next four seasons — bounce back after an injury-riddled first season as a Blue Jay? Restoring his bat is paramount, but his ability to play competent defense in left or right field will also be important if Toronto wants to keep the 36-year-old Springer at DH. Addison Barger flashed legitimate star power on both sides of the ball during Toronto's pennant run, but both he and the late-blooming Nathan Lukes — another key cog in October — have a lot to prove against left-handed pitching if they're going to sustain regular roles. Davis Schneider and Myles Straw also remain as useful right-handed complements. There aren't any top prospects on the doorstep of the majors, but keep an eye on Yohendrick Pinango and RJ Schreck, upper-level bats who could make some noise in camp.

Can this group of familiar faces — plus new Japanese slugger Kazuma Okamoto, who projects to primarily handle third base but could factor into the left field mix — backfill the void left in the lineup by departed mainstay Bo Bichette? That's the biggest question facing Toronto's position-player group. A lot is clearly riding on Okamoto, but there's ample pressure on the holdovers to step up, too, especially in the outfield.

Milwaukee Brewers: Fourth and fifth starting pitchers

Milwaukee executed its traditional gambit of trading away a franchise favorite before he reached free agency, dealing Freddy Peralta to the Mets in exchange for top prospects Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat. Brandon Woodruff, the longest-tenured Brewer, remains atop the rotation after accepting the qualifying offer, but the rest of Milwaukee's starting staff is filled with relatively new names. Two of those pitchers — breakout fireballer Jacob Misiorowski and effective trade acquisition Quinn Priester — should have firm grips on rotation roles behind Woodruff. But the two other spots look to be up for grabs, setting up a competition in camp to determine the Opening Day rotation.

Three arms will be at the forefront of the conversation. The most experienced is Chad Patrick, who emerged as an unlikely rookie contributor in the rotation during the regular season but transitioned to the bullpen for the stretch run and shined as a reliever in October. It's tempting to watch Patrick in relief — throwingmarkedly harderthan he did as a starter — and wonder if the bullpen is where he could make the greatest impact. But Milwaukee is flush with bullpen options, making it more likely that Patrick stays stretched out and vies for a rotation job.

He'll be competing with two rookie-eligible right-handers, Brandon Sproat and Logan Henderson. Both pitchers showed flashes of potential in their brief major-league stints last season, and each appears in the back half of most of the recently released Top 100 prospect lists. How Sproat adjusts to his new organization and how Henderson returns from the flexor strain that ended his 2025 campaign in August will help clarify who is prepared to seize a rotation spot to open the season.

Another name worth mentioning is Robert Gasser, who had a strong initial cameo in 2024 before undergoing Tommy John surgery. He returned to the mound at the end of 2025 and will be looking to rediscover his pre-surgery form in 2026. He could provide a lefty alternative for a rotation depth chart loaded with right-handers.

L.A. Dodgers: Fifth, sixth (and seventh?) starting pitchers

It's no secret that the reigning champs have amassed a spectacular amount of starting pitching talent. That was already true a year ago, and since then, the unit has only elevated further, with Shohei Ohtani's return to the mound and Yoshinobu Yamamoto's legendary October heroics. Clayton Kershaw's retirement removed one accomplished arm from the rotation, but Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow remain as unquestioned frontline pitchers.

But while that quartet is as formidable as any starting staff in the world, the depth chart beyond it is also crucial. If we've learned anything in recent years, it's that it takes a whole lot more than five starters to make it through a 162-game season, plus a deep playoff run, and the Dodgers know that as well as any team. Fortunately, there's a huge group of talented hurlers beyond Los Angeles' top four who will be jockeying for roles as big-league starters at Camelback Ranch.

Roki Sasaki begins an utterly fascinating sophomore campaign after faltering badly as a rookie in the regular season before shining in relief in October. The Dodgers are intent on returning him to the rotation, but can he make the adjustments to succeed as a starter and stay healthy while doing so? Conversely, Emmet Sheehan looked terrific as a starter in the regular season before a more uneven showing in relief during the postseason. He looks to have surpassed Sasaki on the depth chart, but he'll need to reinforce that this spring. Several others with big-league experience — Justin Wrobleski, Ben Casparius, Kyle Hurt, Landon Knack — continue to straddle the starter/reliever line. Then there's a couple of key injury returners in right-handers Gavin Stone and River Ryan, each looking to regaintheir impressive pre-surgeryform. Bobby Miller is still around, too.

On paper, it's an embarrassment of riches, but these arms also represent pivotal depth for when injuries inevitably happen. Some portion of these pitchers are bound to contribute to Los Angeles' effort to three-peat; exactly which ones remains to be seen.

Philadelphia Phillies: Outfield

It's rare to see a team be blatantly transparent about its intention to put a yet-to-debut prospect on the Opening Day roster. But the Phillies have not been shy whatsoever about how much they are counting on 22-year-old Justin Crawford to be their center fielder in 2026. The son of four-time All-Star outfielder Carl, Justin spent all of 2025 at Triple-A and showed an exciting blend of speed and contact resembling that of his father's prime. Now Philadelphia appears ready to lean on him to add a youthful component to a lineup loaded with grizzled veterans.

The Phillies' willingness to hand Crawford the starting center-field job is refreshing in an era when so many teams are overly cautious and/or prioritizing service-time considerations. But Crawford isn't a consensus top prospect whom evaluators regard as a slam-dunk to contribute right away, let alone blossom into an impact player. That puts some pressure on Philadelphia's confidence in Crawford to be validated quickly, especially within the context of an outfield that features uncertainty in the corners, with Brandon Marsh's ongoing platoon challenges and the addition of Adolis Garcia coming off two wretched campaigns.

Starting a rookie in center field on Opening Day would be one thing if he were flanked by two rock-solid contributors, but that's not the case here. There's upside with this unit, but Crawford and Garcia will need to perform well in a hurry as the only two new faces in a lineup that has otherwise stayed the same.

New York Mets: Starting rotation

As Peralta leaves behind a Brewers rotation filled with younger pitchers, he joins a Mets staff with a wealth of veteran rotation candidates, all of whom come with major questions. While Peralta and budding ace Nolan McLean are locks to occupy the top two rotation spots in Queens, you can make a case for about six other pitchers to fill out the remaining three jobs as things stand.

Clay Holmes looks like the safest bet of this group — an unexpected sentiment, given his career trajectory — but also the one with the lowest demonstrated upside. Lefty David Peterson was fantastic in the first half of 2025, earning an All-Star nod, but awful down the stretch, posting a 6.34 ERA after the break. Sean Manaea is by far the highest-paid of the bunch, but his second season in Queens was marred by injuries, making it difficult to forecast his contributions. Kodai Senga is enigmatic from both durability and performance standpoints, and his name has floated in trade rumors all winter. If that quartet of veterans fails to produce enough reliable starters, 22-year-old Jonah Tong looms as an exciting rookie candidate. There's also 26-year-old Christian Scott, who will be looking to make a mark in camp after missing all of 2025 following Tommy John surgery.

New York's dramatic offseason makeover of its offensehas been astonishing to watch, but recall that the team's second-half collapse last year was largely fueled by disarray on the mound. Peralta will help, but a lot will depend on the rest of the pitchers in-house to up their games if the Mets are going to get back on track, and that should be a big focus in Port St. Lucie this spring.

The Oregon supreme court has ruled that a large number of criminal cases across the state must be dismissed due to a severe shortage of public defenders, a major decision that attorneys say will impact more than 1,400 pending cases.

The problem has been years in the making and has become a significant constitutional crisis, as people charged with crimes are routinely unable to fight their cases as they wait weeks, months or sometimes years for the state to appoint them lawyers. The attorney shortage – due in part to the increasing difficulty of recruiting attorneys for the low-salary, high-caseload jobs – has meant that people have had cases hanging over them for extended periods of time, impacting their housing, employment and families, advocates say.

Oregon's highest court ruled on Thursday that dismissals are required if the state failed to provide counsel within 60 days after arraignment for a misdemeanor and within 90 days for a felony. Statedataon unrepresented defendants showed that as of this week, more than 1,400 active cases fall in that category, including hundreds of people who have been waiting more than a year for an attorney.

The ruling dictates that the cases be dismissed without prejudice, meaning prosecutors can re-file charges. The court said charges can be brought again "when the state is able to provide the counsel to which a defendant is entitled". The ruling also said dismissal isn't required if during the 60- or 90-day period the defendant failed to appear in court for a required hearing.

The case originated with a man named Allen Rex Roberts, who was charged with unauthorized use of a vehicle and possession of a stolen car in August 2021. The charges were dismissed in October 2022 because of the state's failure to appoint him a lawyer, but in April 2024, prosecutors re-indicted Roberts on the same charges. For the next year, Roberts repeatedly returned to court for hearings where he was supposed to be appointed counsel, but each time no attorney was available. Eventually, his case was again dismissed due to a lack of attorneys.

The right to counsel isenshrinedin the Oregon and US constitutions, and the shortage of attorneys has led to mass violations of those fundamental rights and pushed the criminal legal system to the brink, advocates say. The vast majority of defendants in the state are indigent and cannot afford a private attorney.

"Many folks who are eligible for dismissal after the court's opinion today have been facing the criminal justice system without assistance for months or years," said Jessica Snyder, a lawyer who co-wrote an amicus brief in the case on behalf of the federal public defenders in Oregon. "The harm is great. It has led to individuals losing their housing, losing contact with their children because of no-contact orders, [and] losing the opportunity to preserve evidence in their criminal case."

Some defendants would have been able to quickly resolve their cases if they simply could afford a private attorney, Snyder noted.

"The toll is also psychological. A lot of clients talked about the despair they felt coming back to court over and over again without someone to help them, how confused they felt, how the court wouldn't listen to their concerns or prosecutors wouldn't help them navigate the system," said Snyder.

A previous courtrulingdictated that the state must release defendants from jail within seven days of appearing in court if they aren't appointed an attorney. That means the more than 1,400 cases impacted by Thursday's ruling mostly involve defendants who are already out of custody.

The attorney shortage is a systemic and statewide problem in Oregon, and thecauses are complex, with criminal defense lawyers noting the state has long underfunded public defense, leaving few public defenders overwhelmed with massive caseloads. A backlog of cases during the pandemic and increasing time required to review materials like body-camera footage and digital evidence has further strained the system, advocates say.

Oregon's crisis is particularly acute, but attorney shortages have createdproblemsacross the country, including inWashington state,Maine,Illinois,UtahandNew Hampshire.

Nadia Dahab, a Portland-based attorney who argued the Roberts case, said she hoped the ruling would force the state to pursue a "solution that recognizes the importance of access to counsel for people charged with a crime and allocates the resources necessary to make sure the public defense system adequately protects them".

"Roberts," she added, "is one of thousands, and the harms he suffered through the arrest warrant when the state recharged him and through the impact of having to take off work to go to court every month – those are very exemplary of what lots of others are facing."

Oregon's department of justice had argued against blanket dismissals in the Roberts case.

Dan Rayfield, the state attorney general, said in a statement on Thursday that the state's legislature had stepped up to increase investments, and he said: "Oregonians deserve solutions." He continued: 'Too many are being left without legal representation – some sitting in jail, others stuck in limbo outside of custody, unable to move their cases forward. That is not acceptable for public safety."

Rayfield said the state respects the supreme court's decision to "set clear limits on how long someone can go without counsel" and he expected the Oregon Public Defense Commission (OPDC), the agency that oversees the public defense system, to meet the standards established by the court and "take responsibility for ensuring people are represented".

The OPDC said in a statement it was assessing the decision and that the commission had made progress in reducing the number of unrepresented individuals and would "continue to address the crisis with urgency and transparency". The statement noted that there were 2,494 people without an attorney at the end of January, down 37% from the year prior.

"We will collaborate with our partners in the criminal justice community to respond to this ruling and build on this progress while protecting defendants' rights and public safety," the statement said.

The public defender crisis was exacerbated last year as Oregon abandoned a policy effort to decriminalize drugs, leading to a surge in arrests for possession that furtherburdened attorneys and clogged up the courts.

The Metropolitan Public Defenders, which represents indigent defendants in Portland and the surrounding region, said in a statement that increasing the number of public defenders alone would not solve the crisis, and urged for more reforms that would reduce the volume of cases in the system: "Oregon needs more community-based resources, and the system needs more … alternatives to prosecution and incarceration."

John Wentworth, president of the Oregon District Attorneys Association, which represents the state's prosecutors, criticized the supreme court decision in a statement, saying: "Criminal defendants, their victims and our communities will continue to lack justice as potentially thousands of cases will now be dismissed. This is an immense waste of taxpayers' money."

Wentworth, the district attorney of Clackamas county, called on the state's governor and OPDC to "fix this problem now", writing: "Our indigent defense system must deliver the service it is funded to provide."

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The U.S.Census Bureauplans to use a survey form with a citizenship question as part of itspractice testof the 2030 census, raising questions about whether the Trump administration might try to make a significant change to the once-a-decade headcount thatfailedduring the president's first term.

The field test being conducted in Huntsville, Alabama, and Spartanburg, South Carolina, is using questions from the American Community Survey, the comprehensive survey of American life, rather than questions from recent census forms.

Among the questions on the ACS is one that asks, "Is this person a citizen of the United States?" Questions for the census aren't supposed to ask about citizenship, and they haven't for 75 years.

Last August,Trump instructedthe Commerce Department to have the Census Bureau start work on a new census that would exclude immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally from the head count.

The Constitution's 14th Amendment says "the whole number of persons in each state" should be counted for the numbers used for apportionment, the process of divvying up congressional seats, and Electoral College votes among the states. The Census Bureau has interpreted that to mean anybody living in the U.S., regardless of legal status.

The bureau did not respond Thursday to inquiries seeking comment about why the ACS questions were being used for the 2026 test.

Terri Ann Lowenthal, a former congressional staffer who consults on census issues, said the ACS questions have never been used for a census field test before. She said the 2026 test — which was pared down from six locations to two — has become "a shell of what the Census Bureau proposed and should do to ensure an accurate 2030 Census."

"This full pivot from a real field test is alarming and deserves immediate congressional attention, in my view," Lowenthal said.

The field test gives the statistical agency the chance to learn how to better tally populations that were undercounted during the last census in 2020 and improve methods that will be used in 2030. Among the new methods being tested is the use of U.S. Postal Service workersto conduct taskspreviously done by census workers.

The test originally was supposed to take place insix places, but the Trump administration earlier this week announced that it had eliminated four sites — Colorado Springs, Colorado, western North Carolina, western Texas and tribal lands in Arizona.

Mark Mather, an associate vice president at the Population Reference Bureau, a nonpartisan research group, said he couldn't speculate on political motivations behind the decision to use the ACS questions, but said the more fundamental concern was methodological.

"The ACS form wouldn't provide a valid test of 2030 census operations," he said. "It's a completely different animal."

In his first term, President Donald Trump unsuccessfullytried to adda citizenship question to the 2020 census form. He also signed orders that would have excluded people who are in the U.S. illegally from the apportionment figures and mandated the collection of citizenship data.

The attempt to add the citizenship question was blocked by the U.S. Supreme Court, and both orders wererescinded when Democratic President Joe Biden arrivedat the White House in January 2021, before the 2020 census figures were released.

Republican lawmakers in Congress recently have introduced legislation that would exclude some non-citizens from the apportionment figures. Several GOP state attorneys also havefiled federal lawsuitsin Louisiana and Missouri seeking to add a citizenship question to the next census and exclude people in the U.S. illegally from the apportionment count.

Follow Mike Schneider on the social platform Bluesky:@mikeysid.bsky.social.

Follow the AP's coverage of the U.S. Census Bureau athttps://apnews.com/hub/us-census-bureau.